This invention relates to emergency location signalling devices of the type disclosed in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,253,573, with respect to which the present invention is an improvement.
Location marking devices that are automatically released, launched and triggered into operation are well known as disclosed in my prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,253,573 and 3,332,390. The automatic release of a marker buoy anchored to a submerged craft, and from which an aerial balloon is launched, is also known as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,470,783 to Mead. Also known are radio and light signalling components suspended from an inflated balloon anchored by a cable to its storage enclosure, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,923,917 to McPherson. Other possibly relevant emergency location signalling devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,821,725 and 4,102,296.
Such prior art location signalling arrangements often require special craft or vehicle mounting facilities and/or impact responsive release means that create installation problems and introduce a certain degree of unreliability such as unintended trigger. It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a portable type of location signalling unit that may be carried by any type of vehicle or craft and triggered into operation either manually or automatically.